Korea sees increase in male nurses
By Bahk Eun-jiWhile nursing professionals still remain predominately female, the number of male nurses has steadily been growing in recent years. The concept of male nurses is nothing new, but the trend is obviously set to accelerate. Figures show that men in nursing are increasing every year ― 3,460, graduated from the 203 nursing colleges across the country in 2019. According to the Korean Nurses Association (KNA), men comprised 14.7 percent of all successful test takers of the national nursing exams this year. Among a total of 21,582 test applicants, 3,179 men passed. The figure is far above the 3.36 percent recorded back in 2008. Of the total 13,330 applicants for the exam at the time, only 449 were men. Over the last 13 years, the number and proportion of male applicants who passed the exam has increased each year.And for the first time, the number of male nurses in Korea has surpassed 20,000 since licenses for male nurses were first issued in 1962, reaching 21,042. “Male nurses, who have been considered rare in this field, are also recognized as proud professionals,&rdquo
Oct 19, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji